Vlad
Vlad is a vampiric Vorahk with an unusual affinity for light and devotion to defending the weak. Appearance Vlad has painted himself white and gold, the 'colors of evil.' He always wears the Cape of Umbra. During a harrowing crusade to frighten the Matoran villages near the school, much of his faceplate and carapace were scalded and blackened. Personality The average Hunger Rahkshi would probably think of Vlad as similar to a vampire. However, as the average Hunger Rahkshi is already pretty similar to a vampire, the double negatives cancel out. In other words, Vlad fears darkness (he's been known to complain of it burning him, thus he always wears the Cape of Umbra), and shirks from Makuta symbols, which he considers holy. He does have some vampiric characteristics, however - two of his teeth are sharpened, he has a pet bat, and he sleeps upside down. He's really a nice guy, and although he has persistent urges to feast on the strength of his fellow Rahkshi, he is pretty good at fighting them off... usually... He speaks with a Transylvanian accent. In time, as he's grown in competence and experience, he's become a dedicated defender of the innocent, helpless, and oppressed. Relationships Many Rahkshi Vlad has befriended and fought alongside have since faded into obscurity, including Mortsia, Doubt, Tesla, and Drift. One who remains is Helkyrie, who took part in his attempt to alarm nearby Matoran villages. Vlad is also friends with Garrotte, who he introduced to the school after her arrival, and Diode, who he met in the process. Illusive is Vlad's archnemesis, because of his continued cruelty toward Matoran. Their battle in the Gym for the fate of Illusive's four Matoran thralls is arguably one of Corpus' most memorable. Gear * A white cape with lightstones sewn into it in the pattern of the stars over Corpus Rahkshi: calls it the Cape of Umbra * A pet ice bat he calls Ivan (mostly hangs out elsewhere now) * A magnetic device mounted on his dorm room ceiling which can magnetically hold his feet, allowing him to sleep upside-down * A double-sided dagger called Avenger, which looks like Berix's shield, capable of returning to his hand when thrown and releasing bright flashes of light when activated, this power can be locked on so it is lit while he throws it. This was stolen by Illusive during their battle on the ice, used to pin a Matoran's corpse to a Causeway pillar and taken by Pyre, currently with Percy. * A long, barbed chain whip, capable of channeling his Hunger powers. * A double-sided, one-handed battleaxe. Bio Vlad was born with weak night vision, but tolerance, even a strange enjoyment, of light. He was allowed to live because he was intelligent for the sake of experiment, but it's a forgone conclusion that as a warrior of darkness, he stinks. When he arrived at Corpus Rahkshi, he attacked several students while they were sleeping, but he's had counseling since then that was mostly effective. The Matoran didn't mind his presence much, even after Wreck the Halls, and he did a variety of odd jobs for them, which earned him his 'bed' and pet ice bat. Vlad experienced a long line of misadventures, including a pathetic failure dueling Hashan, being pushed down a flight of stairs on Malebranche, having his 'bed' stolen and putting the thief on trial, and making a lone friend in Drift before probably irrevocably screwing it up by attacking a Kraata. Eventually Vlad came to the Gym to teach himself to play the organ on a massive instance of the instrument formed by the living stone. That was interrupted, though, when four Matoran barged into the Gym. Vlad tried to protect them, but was too slow to beat Nightmare to one, and the small sadistic Rahkshi killed her. The Vorahk rushed another to the Infirmary, and was assigned along with Xara and Mortsia by Palma to hiding yet another from Tridax. They managed to do so successfully, hiding the Matoran in a cave beneath the school. Vlad even gave the Matoran the Cloak of Umbra, to serve as a cushion. As a result of the sucessful evacuation, Vlad leveled up, but in typical abnormal fashion, he was disappointed to discover this, for increased power merely made him more of a potential menace to his fellow Rahkshi. He shortly after embarked on a quest to track down the one responsible for bringing the Matoran to the school, working with Fang, Lucid, and Alpha on doing so. However, without the Cloak of Umbra, the darkness began to get at him, and he fled the Gym in search of a light source to end the pain brought on by the darkness. Later, he encountered Illusive and his four infected Matoran in the Gym, and resolved to free them in death. A massive battle ensued, including the creation of an ice rink, which resulted in the Matoran's deaths and Illusive's retreat. When Illusive later put up a poster advertising a raid on a nearby Matoran village, Vlad organized a force consisting of Helkyrie, Revenge, Doubt, Tesla, and maybe others to follow after and try to stop him. The Matoran themselves fended off Illusive, but to ensure all villages would fare similarly, Vlad led his team to many other nearby villages, where they made brief and startling appearances in order to alarm the Matoran and prompt them to prepare for more legitimate attacks. During this crusade he was hit with a Skyblaster and his faceplate and carapace were charred black, and his cloak singed. Back at the school, he intervened to stop Hollow killing Canvas for no good reason, and later introduced the newcomer Garrotte to the school. The two encountered Diode shortly before the Seventh Assignment, and made their way to the Gym, where Helkyrie completed their team.